Association between widespread pain and associated symptoms in patients with cirrhosis

Background: Chronic pain is common in cirrhosis; however, the mechanistic classifications are not well characterized. Nociplastic pain, for instance, is associated with comorbid nonpain symptoms and responds to different treatments than nociceptive pain. Methods: We conducted a survey study in February 2022 of adult patients with cirrhosis at the University of Michigan (N = 238) to evaluate pain widespreadedness, associated nociplastic symptoms, and pain intensity. Findings: Pain and pain widespreadedness were associated with mood and cognitive disturbance, fatigue, sleep difficulty, and physical and social functioning. Patient-reported Outcomes, such as body maps, can be useful to phenotype patients for pain mechanisms.

Automated summary

This study investigates chronic pain in patients with cirrhosis and finds that pain is associated with mood and cognitive disturbances, fatigue, sleep difficulty, and physical and social functioning. Patient-reported outcomes, such as body maps, can be useful for classifying pain mechanisms.